Allocating and accessing website resources via domain name routing rules

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for allocating and accessing website resources via domain name routing rules as opposed to the domain name system (DNS). The system may include a reverse proxy server that includes domain name routing rules and a plurality of hosting servers. The reverse proxy server may receive a request from a client, wherein the request may comprise a domain name and possibly a path. The reverse proxy server may fulfill the request using the domain name routing rules for the domain name and possibly the path. The request may be, as non-limiting examples, to transfer a file to a requester, move a file from one server to another server, allocate redundant passive resources that may be activated in the event of an error, provide a website resource that may span two or more hosting servers and/or retrieve data from cache on the reverse proxy server.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for allocating and controlling resources, comprising the steps of:
 a) registering, by one or more hardware servers, a domain name to a client;   b) providing, by one or more hosting servers, a hosting service to the client; and   c) configuring a reverse proxy server so that the reverse proxy server will route incoming requests comprising the domain name to the one or more hosting servers.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the reverse proxy server comprises one or more hardware servers and software and wherein the software comprises domain name routing rules for a plurality of domain names. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the software comprises domain name routing rules for the plurality of domain names and one or more domain names in the plurality of domain names is associated with one or more paths. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
 d) hosting website content on the one or more hosting servers.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
 d) receiving, by the reverse proxy server, an incoming request; and   e) fulfilling, by the reverse proxy server, the incoming request.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the incoming request comprises a request to move a website file from a first server in the one or more hosting servers to a second server in the one or more hosting servers. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the incoming request comprises a request to activate passive resources on a first server in the one or more hosting servers and deactivate active resources on a second server in the one or more hosting servers. 
     
     
         8 . A method for allocating and controlling resources, comprising the steps of:
 a) receiving, by a reverse proxy server comprising one or more hardware servers and software, from a client an incoming request that comprises a domain name, wherein the software comprises domain name routing rules for a plurality of domain names; and   b) fulfilling the incoming request, by the reverse proxy server, on one or more hosting servers using the domain name routing rules for the domain name in the incoming request.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the incoming request comprises an HTTP request. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the incoming request comprises the domain name and a path. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the software comprises domain name routing rules for the plurality of domain names and one or more domain names, in the plurality of domain names, is each associated with one or more paths. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the step of:
 c) hosting website content on the one or more hosting servers.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the incoming request comprises a request to move a website file from a first server in the one or more hosting servers to a second server in the one or more hosting servers. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the incoming request comprises a request to activate passive resources on a first server in the one or more hosting servers and deactivate active resources on a second server in the one or more hosting servers. 
     
     
         15 . A method for redundancy and automatic failover, comprising the steps of:
 a) setting, in a reverse proxy server, domain name routing rules for a plurality of domain names, wherein the domain name routing rules indicate that:
 i) a first data is active for a first one or more domain names in a first one or more hosting servers; 
 ii) a second data is passive for a second one or more domain names in the first one or more hosting servers; 
 iii) the first data is passive for the first one or more domain names in a second one or more hosting servers; and 
 iv) the second data is active for the second one or more domain names in the second one or more hosting servers; 
   b) detecting, by the reverse proxy server, an error condition on the first one or more servers; and   c) after detecting the error condition, setting, in the reverse proxy server, domain name routing rules for the plurality of domain names, wherein the domain name routing rules indicate that:
 i) the first data is passive for the first one or more domain names in the first one or more hosting servers; 
 ii) the second data is passive for the second one or more domain names in the first one or more hosting servers; 
 iii) the first data is active for the first one or more domain names in the second one or more hosting servers; and 
 iv) the second data is active for the second one or more domain names in the second one or more hosting servers. 
   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising the steps of:
 d) registering, by one or more hardware servers, the domain name to a client;   e) providing, by the first one or more hosting servers and the second one or more hosting servers, a hosting service to the client; and   f) setting up the first one or more hosting servers and the second one or more hosting servers.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising the steps of:
 d) receiving, by the reverse proxy server comprising one or more hardware servers and software, an incoming request that comprises a domain name in the plurality of domain names; and   e) fulfilling the incoming request, by the reverse proxy server, on the first one or more hosting servers or on the second one or more hosting servers using the domain name routing rules for the domain name in the incoming request.   
     
     
         18 . A method for account spanning, comprising the steps of:
 a) providing, by two or more hosting servers, a hosting service to a client; and   b) setting, by a reverse proxy server comprising one or more hardware servers and software, domain name routing rules for a domain name in a plurality of domain names, wherein the domain name in the domain name routing rules indicate that a website or a website resource associated with the domain name spans the two or more hosting servers.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising the steps of:
 c) registering, by one or more hardware servers, the domain name to the client; and   d) setting up the two or more hosting servers.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising the steps of:
 c) receiving, by the reverse proxy server, an incoming request that comprises the domain name in the plurality of domain names; and   d) fulfilling the incoming request, by the reverse proxy server, on the two or more hosting servers using the domain name routing rules for the domain name in the incoming request.